OU RBY Invitational III - Commencement, Discussion, & Team / Set Dump

[emma]

Art by Blazenix

>> RBY Invitational Discord <<
>> RBY Invitational Spreadsheet <<
>> RBY Invitational III Teams, Replays, & Usage Stats <<
​

Hello everyone and welcome to RBY Invitational 3, hosted by yours truly! This year's edition will follow the same format as last year - 32 Players, Invite only, Doubles Elimination - with a few additional rules found below.

This year there will be a starting prizepool of $200 provided by me with hopefully more to come! If you are interested in donating or helping the tournament overall, please join the Discord server for more information.

Main event invitationals will go out on July 31st and Round 1 will begin September 4th. Play-ins will begin August 14th. Please see the schedule below for more details.

Along with a starting prizepool, there will be additional upgrades from last year. The goal is to have 1-2 sets per round commentated and uploaded to Youtube for your entertainment and learning opportunity. Additionally, there will pseudo player cards for each main event player, similar to what you see during Smogon Classic Playoffs.

Here's to an excellent tournament :)

Tournament Rules

• This is a standard RBY OU tournament.​
• This tournament will be Double Elimination. 32 Players, 10 Rounds. Both the Main Event and Play-ins are invite only.​
• Rounds will be Best of Three until Round 8 (Winner's Finals) where they become Best of Five.​
• REPLAYS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL MATCHES.
• Extensions will only be allowed for the first three rounds. Starting in Round 4 you must complete your set by the deadline.​
• All games must be played on the Smogon Tournaments Pokemon Showdown! server (smogtours.psim.us).​
• Play-ins will be a Best of Three, Single Elimination, 16 person bracket where the top two participants qualify for the main event.​
• Do not cheat. I reserve the right to disqualify anyone breaking this rule.​
• Do not harass or insult your opponents, spectators, or staff. I reserve the right to disqualify anyone breaking this rule.​
• The main event will take over 2 months to complete. This is a hefty time and effort commitment. Make sure you are able to commit to playing the entire tournament until the end before accepting the invitation.​
• This is a serious, competitive, invite-only RBY OU Tournament with hundreds of dollars on the line. Effort, serious teams and Pokemon, and not forfeiting games/sets for no valid reason is expected of all players. I reserve the right to disqualify anyone breaking this rule.
• I am the sole decider on anything and everything regarding this tournament. There are no appeals. I reserve the right to change, cancel or in any other way alter the tournament at any time for any reason at my sole discretion. I reserve the right to penalize, kick, ban or disqualify any participant at any time for any reason at my sole discretion. My decisions are final. By agreeing to participate in this tournament you understand and agree to this.

Schedule

July 31st - Main Event Invitations
August 7th - Play In Invitations
August 14th - Qualifiers Round 1
August 21st - Qualifiers Round 2
August 28th - Qualifiers Round 3
September 4th - Round 1
September 11th - Round 2
September 18th - Round 3 (Loser's Only)
September 25th - Round 4 **Extensions are no longer allowed
October 2nd - Round 5 (Loser's Only)
October 9th - Round 6
October 16th - Round 7 (Loser's Only)
October 23rd - Round 8 (Winner's Finals) **Best of 5 begins
October 30th - Round 9 (Loser's Finals)
November 6th - Round 10 (Grand Finals)

Participants

MAIN EVENT

1. Amaranth
2. Hayburner
3. Nails
4. Star
5. Maya Chansey
6. Pohjis
7. Koalacance
8. Sceptross
9. Serpi
10. SoulWind
11. chuva de perereca
12. BIHI
13. FriendOfMrGolem120
14. SaDiSTiCNarwhal
15. Mister Tim
16. spies
17. Frrf
18. dice
19. Mana
20. Gilbert arenas
21. marcoasd
22. Lusch
23. Kaz
24. McMeghan
25. Mako
26. M Dragon
27. Khaetis
28. shiloh
29. Aliss
30. Excal

31. Ctown6
32. Enigami

DECLINED - MAIN EVENT

Peasounay
Heroic Troller
ABR
BKC
Hipmonlee
Prinz
MetalGro$$

PLAY INS

1. Justamente
2. Ctown6
3. ziloXX
4. Agammemnon
5. Torchic
6. Unowndragon
7. Quarante8
8. Groudon
9. Enigami
10. Genesis7
11. teal6
12. kjdaas
13. Prof_J
14. The Quasar
15. Ortheore
16. Vileman

DECLINED - PLAY INS

Gefährlicher Random
Oiseau Bleu
eden
HANTSUKI
johnnyg2
Leru
ErPeris
Tricking
SMB
Mikon
TonyFlygon
mikmer
TDK
erz

Donations

emma - $200
May - $30
phoopes - $20
Anonymous A - $100
theBigbrother17 - $50
Ctown6 - $140
Enigami - $15

Total - $555

Matchups

Play-Ins

Play-Ins Round 1

Agammemnon  vs  kjdaas
Enigami  vs  Groudon
Vileman  vs  Genesis7
Prof_J  vs  The Quasar
Unowndragon  vs  Ortheore
teal6  vs  Justamente
Ctown6  vs  Quarante8
Torchic  vs  ziloXX

Play-Ins Round 2

Enigami  vs  Vileman
kjdaas  vs  Unowndragon
ziloXX  vs  Justamente
Ctown6  vs  The Quasar

Play-Ins Round 3

kjdaas vs Ctown6
Enigami vs Justamente

Round 1

Gilbert arenas vs. marcoasd
BIHI vs. shiloh
Maya Chansey vs. Koalacance
Nails vs. Serpi
Aliss vs. Excal
Mako vs. SaDiSTiCNarwhal
Lusch vs. Ctown6
Mana vs. Hayburner
Kaz vs. chuva de perereca
Enigami vs. dice
spies vs. Mister Tim
Khaetis vs. Star
Sceptross vs. Frrf
McMeghan vs. Pohjis
Amaranth vs. M Dragon
SoulWind vs. FriendOfMrGolem120

Round 2

Winner's Bracket

Mako  vs  M Dragon
Hayburner  vs  Khaetis
spies  vs  Sceptross
Koalacance  vs  Kaz
FriendOfMrGolem120  vs  marcoasd
BIHI  vs  Aliss
Serpi  vs  Lusch
Enigami  vs  Pohjis

Loser's Bracket

SaDiSTiCNarwhal  vs  Amaranth
Maya Chansey  vs  dice
Ctown6  vs  SoulWind
Mana  vs  Star
Excal  vs  Mister Tim
Nails  vs Frrf
chuva de perereca  vs  McMeghan
Gilbert arenas  vs  shiloh

Round 3

Loser's Bracket

Hayburner  vs  shiloh
McMeghan  vs  Maya Chansey
Amaranth  vs  BIHI
SoulWind  vs  Mako
Enigami  vs  Koalacance
Star  vs  FriendOfMrGolem120
Nails  vs  Sceptross
Excal  vs  Lusch

Round 4

Winner's Bracket

Khaetis  vs  marcoasd
spies  vs  Pohjis
M Dragon  vs  Serpi
Aliss  vs  Kaz

Loser's Bracket

McMeghan  vs  Enigami
FriendOfMrGolem120  vs  shiloh
Lusch  vs  Sceptross
BIHI  vs  Mako

Round 5

Loser's Bracket

BIHI  vs  marcoasd
FriendOfMrGolem120  vs  Enigami
Aliss  vs  Serpi
Lusch  vs  spies

Round 6

Winners's Bracket

M Dragon vs Khaetis
Kaz vs Pohjis

Loser's Bracket

marcoasd vs Serpi
FriendOfMrGolem120 vs Lusch

Round 7

Loser's Bracket

marcoasd vs Pohjis
M Dragon vs FriendOfMrGolem120

Round 8

Winner's Bracket

Khaetis vs Kaz

Loser's Bracket

marcoasd vs FriendOfMrGolem120

Round 9

Loser's Bracket

Kaz vs marcoasd

Round 10

Set 1

Khaetis vs Kaz

Set 2 (if necessary)

Khaetis vs Kaz

 

[emma]

Introducing the Participants

Amaranth

19-21 SPL
8-2 Invitational
#20 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
Invitational I Champion | Global Championship 2020 Champion | RBY Circuit 2020 Semifinalist | Global Championship 2021 Semifinalist

Amaranth follows in an elite line of Italian RBYers and is one of the best players in the tier's history who is responsible for a large proportion of metagame shifts and top teams in recent history. He won SPL IX with the Wolfpack into being crowned champion of the first Invitational in 2018 followed up by another streak of dominance in 2020 by going 7-4 in SPL XI and then winning Global Championship VI. After a simply ok Invitational II and a forgettable SPL XIII, we'll see if it's time for Amaranth to regain his crown.

Hayburner

8-6 SPL
0-2 Invitational

The only ever RBY retain in SPL history (probably), Hayburner started off strong in his RBY career with a 5-2 showing in SPL XII off the bench but cooled off with 0-2 in Invitational II followed up by 3-4 in SPL XIII, although there were definitely sets where he did not seem to be taking the games as seriously as he could be. After leading Canada to within a game of taking home the WCoP trophy, let's see if Hayburner can find similar success in this year's edition of RBY Invitational.

Nails

29-18 SPL | 3-3 WCoP
7-4 Invitational
RBY Cup 2020 Finalist | RBY Cup 2019 Finalist | Invitational I Semifinalist | Global Championship 2018 Semifinalist

It's Nails - 2nd most RBY SPL wins of all time, one of two to win at least 20 RBY sets over the course of three SPLs, back-to-back RBY Cup finals, and an Invitational I bronze trophy to boot. He even got an entire team named after him! After dominating for years sticking to his tried and true playstyle, Nails struggled in SPL XIII, accumulating only 4 wins after the opposition began to figure him out a bit. Will we see Nails switch it up in one of the few individual tournaments he still plays in or will he ride-or-die with what he's known best for?

Star

0-0 SPL
0-0 Invitational

While his RBY success (and experience!) is quite limited, Star has been one of the Top 15 players on Smogon since 2021 - 20-9 in official team tours, including a 10-2 record and a tiebreaker win to take home the red in SPL XII, back-to-back Top 16s in OSTs, back-to-back Smogon Tour Playoffs, a Grand Slam playoffs appearance, a Smogon Classic playoffs appearance - you name it, Star has achieved it. It's time to see if he can add success in yet another tier to his already stacked resume.

 

[emma]

Maya Chansey

1-1 SPL
0-0 Invitational
RBY Cup 2021 Finalist

Maya Chansey is an old Pokemon Perfect player who seemingly came from the dead to place 2nd in last year's RBY Cup into being drafted in SPL XIII and even securing her very own win. What's most impressive about her recent success was her playstyle - very clearly sticking to a debatably outdated look on the tier but still coming out on top despite missing years of metagame development. Will we see her branch out this upcoming Invitational or will her predictability come back to bite her?

Pohjis

0-0 SPL
4-2 Invitational
Winer Seasonal 2020 Champion | RBY Circuit 2021 Finalist | Global Championship 2022 Semifinalist

Mr. Ribbon himself, Pohjis has won 5 old generation circuits in the past two years and has seen overall continued success in the vast amount of individual tournaments he signs up for. He returns to RBY Invitational after a strong Top 8 showing last year including eliminating Nails. RBY is the the only generational ribbon that has alluded him thus far - will Pohjis finally see top tier RBY OU success or will he come up short once more?

Koalacance

1-3 SPL
0-0 Invitational
RBY Circuit 2021 Champion

Koalacance didn't drop a game on his way to claiming the 2021 RBY Ribbon but struggled in the prep-infested environment of SPL after he was bought at midseason. An up-and-comer, we'll see which tournament was a more accurate representation of their skill in his RBY Invitational debut.

Sceptross

3-8 SPL
6-4 Invitational
#17 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
Invitational II Semifinalist

Sceptross is another old Pokemon Perfect player, but one that never saw the same level of success as some of the other names you'll come across in during this tournament. Despite his SPL shortcomings, Sceptross seems to always perform in Invitational with Top 12 and 3rd place rankings to his name and a strong 7-4 record overall. Will he be able to show up and win once more?

 

[emma]

Serpi

10-8 SPL
5-2 Invitational
Winter Seasonal 2021 Champion | Global Championship 2022 Finalist | Invitational II Semifinalist | RBY Cup 2021 Semifinalist | Summer Seasonal 2021 Semifinalist

Serpi might be the most consistently elite RBYer at the moment - continued circuit dominance, a strong 4th place finish in Invitational II, and back-to-back positive SPLs. No matter how prestigious the tour, he shows up and wins. Will he finally find peak RBY OU success and solidify himself as the guy to beat in his second run in Invitational?

SoulWind

0-0 SPL
0-0 Invitational
RBY Cup 2019 Champion | RBY Cup 2018 Finalist

It's SoulWind - a man of few words but one of the greatest competitive Pokemon players of all time. The second most official team tournament wins at 113, two individual trophies, countless deep individual runs, and even back-to-back RBY Cup finals run with a win to his name. Is it time for SoulWind to add yet another trophy (and cash!) to his name?

chuva de perereca

8-3 SPL
0-0 Invitational
Winter Seasonal 2022 Champion | RBY Circuit 2021 Semifinalist | Summer Seasonal 2021 Semifinalist | Winter Seasonal 2021 Semifinalist

chuva de perereca has level up'd the most of any recent RBY OU player - from ladder hero to grinding with spies to prolonged circuit success to an elite 8-3 record in his SPL debut. One of the best preppers in the pool, we'll see if chuva de perereca can live up to the hype of the next big thing in RBY with a strong Invitational debut.

BIHI

2-0 SPL
0-0 Invitational
RBY Cup 2020 Semifinalist | Summer Seasonal 2019 Semifinalist

BIHI did the unimaginable in SPL XIII playoffs - defeating chuva de perereca and Heroic Troller in back-to-back tiebreaker sets to secure the red for the Raiders. He did all this after not touching the tier throughout the entire tournament and not having any notable results since being a RBY Cup VI Semifinalist all the way back in 2020. He then went on to beat Heroic Troller once again in Retro Cup of Pokemon Semifinals showing that it wasn't just a one tournament miracle run. Will he be able to replicate the same magic in his first Invitational?

 

[emma]

FriendOfMrGolem120

13-9 SPL
9-2 Invitational
Global Championship 2021 Champion | Invitational II Runner-Up | Global Championship 2020 Semifinalist

FriendOfMrGolem120 won SPL X with the Alpha Ruiners with a respectable 6-5 record, played GSC for a few seasons, and returned to RBY in SPL XIII with an elite 7-4 record. Inbetween the two was one of the most dominant stretches of RBY OU in recent memory - after losing Round 2 in Invitational II, FriendOfMrGolem120 won 8 straight sets, including 15 straight games to start off to get within a game of being crowned the overall winner before falling to Excal in Grand Finals Set 2 Game 5. With one of the most impressive resumes of all players participating, is it FriendOfMrGolem120's year to take the whole thing home?

SaDiSTiCNarwhal

2-6 SPL
3-2 Invitational
#20 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
Global Championship 2022 Champion | Summer Seasonal 2020 Finalist

SaDiSTiCNarwhal made his SPL debut two years ago but struggled to a 2-6 record. Since then, he had a strong Invitational II with a Top 12 finish and won this year's edition of Global Championship, taking out one of the hottest RBYers in Serpi in the Grand Finals. Will a strong performance this year catapult him into SPL XIV starter discussion for redemption, or will he never be able to make his return to the official team tournament scene?

Mister Tim

0-0 SPL
4-4 Invitational
#8 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
1x PP Season Winner | 1x PP Master Tour Winner
Summer Seasonal 2019 Semifinalist

Mister Tim has long been in the above-average-but-not-quite-SPL-level category of RBYers for what seems like forever. His results are strong - a Pokemon Perfect Season winner, #8 on the overall rankings. and a Top 6 Invitational II finish is more than most players will ever accomplish. Will this be the year where he truly breaks through to the elite level of RBY OU players or is it simply not that time yet?

spies

14-14 SPL
4-2 Invitational
RBY Cup 2021 Champion | Summer Seasonal 2021 Finalist

Yes, you read that right. spies is back from the dead to play in year's edition of RBY Invitational. Long ago, spies came back after a long hiatus to start in SPL XII after going 6-3 all the way back in SPL I. Then, everything changed when it was apparent he was not up to par and struggled to a 3-8 record. Only by expanding his outdated view on the metagame and grinding the circuit could get him back into elite shape - and it sure did as spies won the 2021 RBY Cup and was ready to start again in SPL XIII. But when the Cryonicles needed him most, he vanished. A few months past, and yours truly discovered a back and ready RBYer, still named spies. And although his RBY OU skills are great, he has a lot to prove before he's ready to be crowned one of the best again. But I believe, spies can win RBY Invitational III.

 

[emma]

Frrf

0-0 SPL
2-2 Invitational
Summer Seasonal 2021 Semifinalist

Frrf has been long grinding smaller RBY OU tours and has started to string together some high-level success including Top 16 in Invitational II after making it through play-ins and Top 16 2021 Circuit. She's been hyped up plenty as one of the best up-and-comers - is she going to be able to deliver in Invitational III?

dice

1-1 SPL
0-0 Invitational

dice is one of the most accomplished Smogon players of all time with 70 overall sheet wins, good for 9th most all time. He is also no stranger to RBY OU with 2x Smogon Classic Playoffs appearances, one of two players to beat Mako in SPL XII, and has kept up with the metagame by testing with chuva de perereca in SPL XIII. Will he further cement his legacy with an Invitational III win?

Mana

0-0 SPL
1-2 Invitational

Mana is yet another tournament player who is not known as an RBY main but has seen success in the tier when he's played, including back-to-back Smogon Classic Playoffs appearances and a Top 16 RBY Cup VII run. He could only muster together one set win last year before falling to Serpi and SaDiSTiCNarwhal - will he show those who doubt he belongs in his tournament or might the haters be right?

Gilbert arenas

0-0 SPL
5-3 Invitational
#25 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
1x PP Cup Champion

Gilbert arenas is one of the few players that was around in the elite Pokemon Perfect days and played in Invitational I that is still playing today. #25 on the Pokemon Perfect Rankings and Viridian Cup V Champion is quite the resume, and he even took it a step further with a Top 6 finish in Invitational II with his only losses being to the two finalists. Is he going to be able to put it all together for another RBY trophy victory or will be fall just short once more?

 

[emma]

marcoasd

14-10 SPL | 10-4 WCoP
1-3 Invitational
#1 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
6x PP Top Player Ranking | 6x PP Season Winner | 11x PP Master Tour Winner | 10x PP Cup Winner | RBY Cup II Finalist

There is no RBY OU player who does not know who the legendary marcoasd is, the greatest RBY OU player of all time. His accomplishments in a singular tier at the peak of the generation's competitiveness might be the most impressive in competitive Pokemon history. Fun facts - marcoasd has won over a third of all Player Rankings, almost a third of all Pokemon Perfect Seasons, almost a third of all Pokemon Perfect Cups, and almost a quarter of all Pokemon Perfect Master Tournaments. I can simply not put into words how dominant at RBY OU marcoasd once was. With his protégée Heroic Troller quickly closing the gap on him in terms of the GOAT, marcoasd has the chance to further cement his renowned legacy and obtain the one measure of success that has thus alluded him in his career with an Invitational III victory.

Lusch

9-7 SPL | 6-3 WCoP
2-2 Invitational
#7 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
1x PP Top Player Ranking | 3x PP Season Winner | 7x PP Master Tour Winner | 6x PP Cup Winner

After marcoasd and Heroic Troller, Lusch is one of the first that comes to mind when you think of the greatest RBY OU player of all time. One of six to top a Pokemon Perfect Player Ranking, one of three with multiple Pokemon Perfect Season victories, and one of three with at least seven Master Tournament wins, Lusch is one of the Mount Rushmore of greatest RBYers ever. After taking off Invitational II, Lusch is back and ready to show the new age of RBYers just how good he is.

Kaz

9-8 SPL
5-2 Invitational
#23 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
Invitational I Finalist | 2x PP Master Tour Winner

Kaz is our third straight boomer that I'm glad the newer RBYers will be able to see in action. He is one of only seven players to win multiple Pokemon Perfect Master Tournaments and had huge wins in his Invitational I Finals run over marcoasd and Nails while only losing to the eventual champion Amaranth twice. Is he ready for a full-on return to the competitive RBY OU scene or has the gap since he last competed at the highest level simply too long to make any noise?

McMeghan

1-0 SPL
1-2 Invitational

Add McMeghan to the long list of one of the greatest Smogon players of all time that will be competing in Invitational III - 13th most sheet wins of all time, two individual trophies, one of the most impressive runs ever in SPL VI, and a 40.5k retain in SPL VII all speak to the continued dominant success McMeghan has seen over his career. Is the motivation and effort there to make a serious run at the money or does McMeghan have nothing left to prove?

 

[emma]

Mako

9-7 SPL
2-2 Invitational

Mako slayed with a 7-2 record in SPL XII but proceeded to flop the following season by going 2-5. She had a respectable 2-2 Invitational II record inbetween so it seems clear her projected record spread is quite volatile. Which Mako will we see in Invitational III?

M Dragon

0-1 SPL
0-0 Invitational
#35 Pokemon Perfect Rankings
1x PP Season Winner | 1x PP Master Tour Winner

M Dragon is one of the best to ever do it. 67-55 all time (13th most wins), a Smogon Tour Season 17 Championship, and multiple deep Smogon Classic runs puts M Dragon in almost a league of his own. He is also no stranger to RBY, being one of twelve to win a Pokemon Perfect Season and is ranked #35 overall despite playing in only the first three of nineteen seasons. He's already qualified for Smogon Classic Playoffs this year; will he be able to keep up his elite old generations play in Invitational III?

Khaetis

0-0 SPL
0-0 Invitational
Global Championship 2021 Finalist

Khaetis is a man of mystery - he had a very impressive 2021 Global Championship finals run with wins over SMB, Frrf, spies, Pohjis, and Amaranth before dropping out of 2022 Global Championship early and effectively falling off the face of the planet for a few months before resurfacing for Invitational III. Was his run just over a year ago or a fluke or will he show everyone he deserves to be here?

shiloh

6-9 SPL | 2-4 WCoP
2-2 Invitational
Winter Seasonal 2020 Semifinalist

shiloh picked up RBY OU to play for US West in World Cup of Pokemon 2019 and ended up with a finals victory and a trophy to his name. He wasn't able to replicate the same results in SPL XI going 1-4 but bounced back with a respectable 2-2 record in Invitational II and 5-5 record in SPL XII. Will he be able to get past his curse of simply breaking even or is it looking like another Top 16 exit for shiloh?

 

[emma]

Aliss

6-9 SPL
2-2 Invitational

Aliss slotted into RBY during SPL XII and did well with a 3-2 record but could not replicate the same success as a full-time starter in SPL XIII where she struggled to a 3-7 finish. Will she be able to build off her GSC Invitational II victory or will she struggle once more playing against the best of the best?

Excal

0-0 SPL
6-1 Invitational
Invitational II Champion

Excal was a constant underdog in his championship run last year, but he was able to defy the odds and take down big name after big name on his way to being declared winner. Hayburner, Amaranth, Serpi, Gilbert arenas, Sceptross, and FriendOfMrGolem120 is quite the path he had to get through but he did it. While he hasn't played too much RBY OU over the past year, I've heard he's quite excited to play the tier again and motivated Excal is definitely one of the favorites to win it all once more.

Ctown6

0-0 SPL
0-0 Invitational
Winter Seasonal 2022 Finalist

Ctown6 is the definition of a RBY zoomer - his only notable results are from this calendar year! He's been one of the most hyped mainers recently and was probably the most impressive player throughout the entirety of play-ins. Is he ready to deliver on the biggest of stages or is it just too early for him to compete with the best of the best?

Enigami

0-0 SPL
3-4 Invitational
#12 Pokemon Perfect Rankings

On the opposite end, Enigami is a RBY boomer that has played in all three Invitationals now and made it through play-ins while wielding Double Electric and Lead Tauros. #12 overall on the Pokemon Perfect Rankings and a Top 6 Invitational I finish is quite impressive - will he be able to hold his own or is he too far past his RBY OU prime?

 

[emma]

Amaranth and I livestreamed the Round 1 pairings reveal and offered thoughts on the matchups!

 

[emma]

I streamed Kaz vs. chuva de perereca!